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The Saints attracted some big names over the course of the off-season, but without a doubt one of the biggest was rugby league superstar Billy Slater.

Speaking exclusively to the Saints Insider podcast, Head of High Performance Matt Hornsby revealed just how influential Slater has been since arriving at RSEA Park.

“To get someone like Billy Slater in who comes from another sport and has a different insight into the way they structured their organisation and connected as a playing group at the Storm, I know the players have found that really insightful,” Hornsby explained.

"He’s been of great benefit to the leadership group in getting them to understand how they can galvanise the team and get them all thinking in a similar fashion about the way we want to play.”

Hornsby also emphasised the need for minds from different backgrounds, clubs and codes to bring a fresh perspective to the football program.

Listen to the full podcast below:

“It’s one of the great aspects of working in an industry like the AFL that there is some flow between organisations,” he said.

“To get that cross-pollination of ideas is really stimulating for the program, and the message then is not stale for the playing group, which is really important given the amount of time we all spend together.”